Post navigation

The long awaited, much anticipated: Thai Curry Soup

First recipe. It’s nothing terribly exciting. Just something I whip up for friends and family when the occasion seems ripe for something quasi-ethnic and I feel like cooking a quick meal in one big pot (i.e. I’m feeling lazy). Well, without further ado here’s the scoop:

Quick and Easy Thai Curry Soup

– 1 onion (cut into 1 in. chunks)

– 4 or 5 cloves garlic (minced or pressed)

– 1 small piece ginger (minced)

– 1 red bell pepper (cut into 1 in. chunks)

– 10 or so crimini mushrooms (sliced or quartered)

-1 or 2 carrots (shredded)

– 6 green onions (chopped)

– 1 lime (sliced into wedges)

– Thai basil (for garnish)

– 3 tbs coconut oil

– 3 tbs red or green Thai curry paste

– 3 tbs liquid aminos (less if your using soy sauce or tamari)

– 1 can bamboo shoots (strained)

– 1 can pineapple chunks (strained)

– 1 can coconut milk (more for thicker, creamier soup)

– 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (less for thicker, creamier soup)

Heat a pot with coconut oil to medium high heat. Stir fry the garlic, ginger and carrot for two minutes. Add the bell pepper, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and onion and stir fry for another minute. Add the curry paste and liquid aminos and continue to stir fry for another three minutes. Pour in the coconut milk. Stir in the vegetable broth. Add pineapple chunks. Bring to a slight boil. Reduce heat and simmer five minutes or until vegetables reach desired tenderness. Toss in green onions. Pour soup over noodles or rice or take it straight. Garnish with Thai basil and a lime wedge. Enjoy!

I think that’s everything. The amounts can all be tinkered with to taste and of course any vegetable that doesn’t suit your preferences can be omitted. There’s always room for fudging. Just be sure to taste it and make gradual changes. You can also add meat, fish or tofu to the soup. Just remember to fully cook it in a separate pan and add it to the soup just before serving. It’s a good idea to sautee it with garlic and ginger to give it plenty of flavor. I would also suggest you use Thai Kitchen coconut milk and curry paste unless you already have a favorite brand. I have tried a few other brands and found them inferior.

You would end up with very mushy vegetables. Stir frying it is basically all you have to do to cook them. After that all you do is add the fruit and the liquids and you have soup. It looks complicated, but that’s just because there is a big list of ingredients. It really is pretty quick to cook. If you don’t have enough time to do everything at once, you could chop all the vegetables in advance and refrigerate them. That’s probably the most time consuming step anyway.

Liquid aminos are in the natural section of Yoke’s near the oil and vinegar I think. You can also use soy sauce or tamari. Just reduce the amount because those two are a bit more salty. Lately I’ve taken to using fish sauce instead. It’s like liquid anchovies. It’s kind of more authentic. Not everyone’s favorite flavor, but I like it.